By: Elder Randy McCarthy

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.  1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

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In this passage, Paul commends the believers in Thessalonica because they received the Gospel as it was preached to them and they readily accepted it as it truly is: the Word of God, and not the word of men. This is important for us to remember. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s Word. It is His assurance to us that, through the death of Christ, we have been reconciled to Him. And it is His command to us to take up our cross, and follow Him in His Kingdom.

First Thessalonians is the first, and thus the oldest, of the 13 letters written by Paul to various churches and individuals under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and preserved by God for us in the New Testament. Written scarcely 20 years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the book of First Thessalonians gives us valuable insight into the early New Testament Church.

The church in Thessalonica had a sizable number of Jewish converts, but the majority were Gentiles who had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” (1 Thess 1:9). Paul and his fellow-workers Silas (Silvanus) and Timotheus (Timothy) spent several months in Thessalonica preaching the Gospel, having been supplied more than once with funds and provisions by the church in Philippi (see Phil 4:15-16).

Paul initially spent three weeks in the local synagogue in Thessalonica showing how that the Old Testament Scriptures promised the Messiah would suffer, be shamefully put to death and be resurrected in glory to sit at God’s right hand. Acts 17:1-4. Paul was ultimately kicked out of the synagogue by certain Jews who rejected the Gospel, so Paul continued to teach out of the home of a local member named Jason (who may have also been one of Paul’s relatives – see Romans 16:21). God greatly blessed the work, and there were many converts in a relatively short amount of time.

Having been unable to prevail over Paul’s effective and reasoned arguments, the enemies of the Gospel eventually stirred up a mob of idle and wicked men who set the city in an uproar. Because they could not locate Paul and Silas (having the clear intent of doing violence to them), the mob dragged Jason and others out of their house, took them before the local authorities and accused them of sedition against the Roman government (Acts 17:5-10).

The rulers required Jason to pay a bond to ensure no further disturbances would occur, and Paul, Silas and Timothy were forced to sneak out of the city. There is little doubt that Paul was riled up and wanted to stay and face his accusers (as he did on other occasions), but he also understood that the Church did not need him to remain there in order to survive. The seeds had been planted, and the Lord determined it was time to move on.

Paul shortly sent Timothy back to check on the Church, and rejoiced to find that the opposition by the Jews had worked to further their service and love of Christ. The letter of First Thessalonians was written by Paul, Silas and Timothy after Timothy’s return, probably from Corinth. It is evident from the letter how much Paul, Silas and Timothy loved the brethren in Thessalonica, how much they desired to be with them again and how saddened they were that the opposition of Satan had made them leave so abruptly. 1 Thess 2:15-17.

There are several reasons why the Church at Thessalonica is of contemporary relevance to us today. First, the epistles to the Thessalonians were the earliest of Paul’s letters, and they give us insight into the Gospel as it was preached by Paul in its primitive, simplest form. Paul’s later letters, such as Romans, First and Second Corinthians and Galatians, are far more complex in their doctrinal arguments. This latter complexity was apparently necessary because, by the time of the writing of these later epistles, the opposition to the Gospel had become more organized, and numerous heresies and misconceptions had to be addressed using detailed, compelling arguments, including frequent references to the Old Testament prophets.

By contrast, the first letter to the Church at Thessalonica encourages the brethren to continue in their faithful service of Christ (1 Thess 3:11-13), reminds them to avoid particularly grievous sins such as sexual immorality and idleness (1 Thess 4:3-12), and answers some basic questions that the Church had asked Timothy during his visit (e.g., 1 Thess 4:13-18). The central theme of the letter is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (e.g., 1 Thess 5:23). Paul called these believers to be subject to their King, and to walk worthy of God who had called them to glory. (1 Thess 2:11-12). That is the Gospel at its essence, and we should not lose sight of that.

Another reason why the Church at Thessalonica is particularly instructive to us today is that it reminds us that persecution from the world is part and parcel with, and cannot be separated from, our discipleship. In First Thessalonians, Paul gives thanks to God because the Church in Thessalonica maintained its belief that the Gospel is the Word of God even in the face of violent opposition.

Paul commends the Thessalonian Church and reminds them that, just as their fellow believers in Jerusalem had been persecuted by non-believing Jews, they were partakers of the same persecution by their own countrymen. Nevertheless, Paul assures the Thessalonians that the wrath of God is upon those who oppose Him and His Cause, and that God’s people will be delivered into the unshakable Kingdom of Jesus Christ at His appearing. This is also something that we should remember.

We who live in contemporary American society are not opposed and persecuted to the extent that the Church in Thessalonica was persecuted. No one has yet stirred up a mob of unruly and wicked men and physically dragged us out of our homes to appear before the authorities. However, such occurrences are all too common in other places in the world today, and there are many in this country who would love to do this very thing if it were in their power.

An important question for us to ask ourselves is: would we be intimidated into silence if such a mob appeared against us? Would the appearance of such a mob cause us to abandon our service to Christ and our love for the Saints? I trust that the answer would be no. But if so, why is it that we are in fact sometimes intimidated into silence even without the appearance of a mob?

It is increasingly common to hear that the Bible is just a bunch of old myths, and has no relevance in today’s “progressive era.”  Just as those early believers in Thessalonica were accused of political sedition and being enemies of the public good, we too are increasingly accused of being haters, bitterly clinging to our religion, enemies of the public good. What are we going to do about this?

I suggest that we take our fellow-believers at Thessalonica as an example: they were ceaseless in their devotion to God and openly proclaimed, by both word and deed, their love for Christ. Paul says that reports of their faithfulness had spread so much that he had received independent accounts of it all the way down in the region of Corinth (Achaia), 250 miles to the south. 1 Thess 1:8. We should strive to be similarly faithful.

Finally, the Church at Thessalonica is instructive to us because they, just like us, had a great interest in eschatology (the end times). The second letter to the Thessalonians seems to indicate that a fake letter purported to have been from Paul may have been circulated among them in the interim (see e.g., 2 Thess 2:2-3; 3:17). Paul writes the second letter to clear up some misunderstandings that may have arisen from this false letter (if it existed) and his authentic first letter, concerning the second coming of Christ.

Apparently, there were some who, in anticipation of Christ’s return, thought it to be so imminent that they believed it was unnecessary to keep working. Having neglected their duties, they became a burden on other church members to feed them. Paul puts a stop to this, reminding them that certain events had to take place prior to Christ’s return, including a great falling away from the faith and the rise of the man of sin, the son of perdition, who would openly proclaim himself to be God. 2 Thess 2:1-12. So while we may marvel at the events taking place in our own time and wonder if we are fast approaching the return of Christ, let us not forget that, until He does, we are to work quietly with our own hands so that we can provide for ourselves and not be a burden to others.  2 Thess 3:10-13.

It is easy to be discouraged by the decay and decline of our contemporary society, and to lament that the best days are behind us. Let us instead remember that the Church in Thessalonica faced a similar culture of darkness and immorality, and against that backdrop the Church shone like the noonday sun. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ remains the best news ever proclaimed, and God brings light to His people today just as He did in those days. Let us walk worthy of the grace of God to His glory, and seek His Kingdom above all else. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” 2 Thess 3:18.

Published: 2011-07-03 by RKM